"One of the Turner family's largest properties, the 363,000-acre Armendaris Ranch in south-central New Mexico, is shielded from development by the nation's second-largest permanent conservation easement. According to a statement on Turner Enterprises' website, the rest of the roughly 2 million-acre ranchland empire will "continue to be protected, limiting future development and parcellation.""
""Turner Ranches, the Turner Foundation and his other nonprofits intend to do stewardship and restoration on those lands," said Jonathan Hayden, executive director of New Mexico Land Conservancy, which holds the conservation easement on the Armendaris Ranch. Turner "will be known for being an innovator in the conservation space and being willing to try new things, from reintroducing desert bighorn to bison restoration - things that take a lot of capital and vision.""
"Turner, who bought his first ranch in 1987, spent the following decades acquiring 12 more in six Western states. He focused on buying properties that were suitable for raising bison, intending to use the animals to restore the land to its original state as well as supply meat for his restaurant chain, Ted's Montana Grill. By all accounts, his land purchases were about more than easements, a tool some wealthy landowners use to avoid taxes."
"Turner said publicly and on his website that his properties would continue to pay taxes to contribute to local communities. He also viewed his land as a way to bring back some species that are at-risk in the West and across the nation. He made headlines with vast properties like the Vermejo Ranch in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, which he bought from the oil company Pennzoil."
Ted Turner acquired large ranch properties across Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, and Nebraska and managed them for conservation. The Armendaris Ranch in New Mexico, totaling 363,000 acres, is protected from development by a permanent conservation easement. Turner Enterprises states that the broader ranchland holdings, about 2 million acres, will continue to be protected by limiting future development and parceling. New Mexico Land Conservancy holds the easement and expects ongoing stewardship and restoration. Turner bought his first ranch in 1987 and later acquired additional properties in Western states. He focused on land suitable for bison and aimed to restore habitats to earlier conditions while supporting meat production for his restaurant chain. He also emphasized that the properties would continue paying taxes to support local communities and help bring back at-risk species.
#land-conservation #conservation-easements #ranching-and-bison-restoration #stewardship-and-restoration #western-land-management
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